Roddy Frame, formerly of Aztec Camera, releases, "Seven Dials," his first solo album in eight years.

Roddy Frame, formerly of Aztec Camera, releases, "Seven Dials," his first solo album in eight years.

Photo: AED

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Roddy Frame, 'Seven Dials'

Roddy Frame, 'Seven Dials'

Photo: AED

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Album Review: Roddy Frame, 'Seven Dials'

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Rock

Three decades on from Aztec Camera's classic debut, "High Land, Hard Rain," singer-songwriter Roddy Frame is still mining exquisite melodies and deep introspection. His first solo album in eight years, "Seven Dials," shares a similar sense of economy and urgency. Love remains elusive while Frame remains hopeful, as he moves from bittersweet acoustic ballads ("Rear View Mirror," "From a Train") to knee-quaking '80s throwbacks ("Into the Sun," "On the Waves"). "Postcard," the record's most deliriously beautiful moment, finds our 50-year-old Scottish hero gazing across the Golden Gate Bridge while contemplating life and soft rock ("From San Francisco to Sausalito, where they started 'Rumours,' ") while conjuring a guitar solo straight out of "Oblivious."